I love Patricia Leavy's work and see it as a great example of fiction arts-based research. It's my long term goal to do this same kind of work, so I'm always excited to see strong examples. As someone who has endured trauma, this book gave me hope that we can find true love despite our trauma and the hard edges that can develop as a result. To me, part of the love story of this novel, in addition to the romantic relationship with Jack, is Tess's love with her best male friend Omar. Friendships and romantic relationships alike can heal our wounds, and this book is an important reminder that love can exist in many forms. Also, female creatives need to remember to embrace our success, and this book reminded me of that as well. This book is a shooting star of light during dark times, and I highly recommend picking it up.